Gresham Library there are two MS. settings in full score, with the name of S. Wesley upon them, of these two identical songs for Ariel. When, several years ago, I first came upon these, I naturally thought that I had found compositions by Samuel Wesley, but it was not so. I was not then well acquainted with Mr. Linley's work, and therefore had to learn, after all, that these were the compositions of Thomas Linley. A most reasonable solution of the apparent difficulty would seem to be that Mr. Wesley had put the full orchestral accompaniments to these songs (which, of course, have only the usual pianoforte accompaniment in Mr. Linley's work), and then, while writing his own name upon the MS., had omitted the name of the composer.

The earliest setting of these words which I have as yet met with is contained in a scarce volume to be found in the British Museum

Library, the date of which we may presume to range somewhere between the years 1740 and 1750. This setting is a solo, entitled "The friendly wish, from Shakespeare," being one of twelve English and Italian songs which the volume in question contains, all of them the composition of a lady named Gamberini. In this particular song from Shakespeare there is a variation in the fifth line, which one scarcely knows whether to consider as being simply a mistake or as an attempt at a new reading, "foison plenty" being changed into "joysom plenty."

There are at least three compositions in the duet form to the words now in question, a form which seems much more appropriate than that of the solo, as in the original they are a dialogue for the goddesses Juno and Ceres, and the listener expects and wishes the two voices to unite at the close. The first in order of time of these duets is the one composed by Mr. Linley, which is written for two sopranos. The next, to be dated about 1859, and which is entitled "Homage to Shakespeare," bears the name of H. Van der Abeelen as that of the composer. It is in the very useful form of a duet written for a low mezzo-soprano (only touching the upper F sharp) and a contralto. Finally, we now have Mr. Arthur Sullivan's setting for two sopranos, being part of that "Tempest" music for which he has obtained so much commendation.

A little further on in this masque we have a speech by Iris, which closes with the following lines, spoken upon the entrance of certain nymphs:

"You sun-burn'd sicklemen, of August weary,

Come hither from the furrow, and be merry;
Make holiday: your rye-straw hats put on,
And these fresh nymphs encounter every one
In country footing."

These words have been set in the glee form for two tenors and a bass by Mr. Hutchinson, whose name has already been mentioned.

After the close of the masque we soon have that speech for Prospero in which occurs the following celebrated lines:

"The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve;

And like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind."

These words have been set by Mr. R. J. Stevens as a glee for six voices, which is a very well-known and favourite work.

Instead of the

line,

"And like this insubstantial pageant faded,"

Mr. Stevens has adopted a line which occurs just before, but still in Prospero's speech, viz., "And, like the baseless fabric of this vision." It is, in fact, the line immediately preceding "The cloud-capp'd

towers."

Act V. Scene 1. Before the cell of PROSPERO. Enter PROSPERO in his magic robes, and ARIEL.

Whereof the ewe not bites; and you whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms; that rejoice
To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid
(Weak masters though ye be) I have bedimm'd
The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
And 'twixt the green sea, and the azur'd vault
Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
Have I given fire, and rifled Jove's stout oak,
With his own bolt; the strong-bas'd promontory
Have I made shake; and by the spurs pluck'd up
The pine and cedar; graves, at my command,
Have wak'd their sleepers; op'd, and let them forth.
By my so potent art: But this rough magic
I here abjure; and, when I have requir'd
Some heavenly music, (which even now I do,)

To work mine end upon their senses that

This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,

Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,

And, deeper than did ever plummet sound,

I'll drown my book."

In Smith's "Tempest" there is a long accompanied recitative for Prospero, which, commencing with the words

"Now does my project gather to a head,"

is carried on to these words, "But this rough magic I here abjure." A song for Prospero follows upon this recitative, but it is not to words by Shakespeare.

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ARIEL.

ARIEL re-enters singing, and helps to attire PROspero.

Where the bee sucks, there suck I;

In a cowslip's bell I lie:

There I couch when owls do cry,

On the bat's back I do fly,

After summer merrily.

Merrily, merrily, shall I live now,

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough."

When treating of Ariel's second song, "Full fathom five," and of my belief that the early setting by Robert Johnson still existed, it was said that the full treatment of that point should be reserved for Ariel's last song, "Where the bee sucks," concerning which the same belief is entertained by me.

If it could be shown that settings actually exist of "Full fathom five," and of "Where the bee sucks," by a musician contemporary with Shakespeare, a certain interest would of course attach to the fact. Those who have read Dr. Burney's history (the great authority upon so many musical matters) might suppose that the compositions alluded to are not extant, and must conclude that Dr. John Wilson was the composer of what I imagine to be Robert Johnson's settings of the before-mentioned songs. I wish now to offer the reasons for thinking that Dr. Burney has fallen into a mistake (a most natural one, however) in this particular matter. To proceed as much as possible by regular steps we will first quote the Doctor's own words, which will be found in a note belonging to the third volume of his History, and at page 335. Dr. Burney is speaking specially of the "Tempest," and says:

"Of the songs in this play Dr. Wilson, who reset and published two of them, tells us in his "Court Ayres or Ballads," published at Oxford, 1660, that "Full fathom five" and "Where the bee sucks" had been first set by Robert Johnson, a composer cotemporary with Shakespeare."